Bible Interpretation
Appreciating patterns in the words as they are can help one to understand the bible better. Duvall and Hays insinuate that appreciating the words in biblical sentences and their patterns is part and parcel of interpreting what the sentences mean.[1] This paper will use the passage in first thirty-one verses of the first chapter of 1st Corinthians to show the significance of repetition, contrast, and comparison in understanding and interpreting the Holy Bible.
In the passage of reference, repetition is the most predominant of the three styles. The table below summarizes the instances of repetition in the passage as is in the Good News Bible:
Table 1
Repeated Words
| REPEATED WORD OR PHRASE | VERSES WHERE IT APPERS |
| God | 1, 2 (twice), 3, 4, 9 (twice), 14, 18, 20, 21, 24 (twice), 25, 26, 27, 29, 30 (thrice) |
| Paul | 1, 12, 13 |
| Lord Jesus Christ | 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
| Jesus Christ | 1, 2, 4, 30 |
| Christ | 5, 6, 12, 17 (twice), 18, 22, 24, 30 |
| Wisdom | 19, 20, 25, 30 |
| Wise | 19, 20, 26 |
| Nonsense | 18, 27 |
Of the thirty-one verses in the text, the name of Christ appears in nineteen of them according to the Good News Bible. In some verses, he is referred to as Jesus Christ while in others he is called the Lord Jesus Christ. In this case, the author emphasizes the importance of Christ to the church in Corinth and any other church. The author also advises the Corinthians that it is only through Jesus Christ that they can achieve unity and overcome all the other challenges that they face. As such, the author’s key message to the audience is that a belief in Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of the church, is the basis and foundation of Christian faith. The name of God also appears in more than half of the verses in the passage. This is also meant to emphasize the importance of God the father as the overall authority in the church. The word grace also appears several times in the passage. This is meant to emphasize to the audience that it is only by the grace of God that they exist.
Several comparisons also appear in the passage. The most conspicuous of these are summarized in the table below:
| COMPARISON | VERSES |
| A comparison between the importance of Paul to the church and that of Christ | 13-17 |
| A comparison between the wisdom of man and that of God | 19-20 |
Each of the comparisons has its own significance. In the first of these, Paul compares his own importance to the church and that of Peter to that of Christ. In rhetorical questions, he brings to the attention of the Corinthians that neither he nor Peter died on the cross for them and that neither his nor Peter’s name was used in the baptism of any of the members of the church in Corinth. In this way, the author brings to the attention of the church the fact that Jesus Christ is the only supreme authority and the basis of Christianity. He asserts that his own significance to the church and that of Peter are too little compared to that of Christ. In the nineteenth verse, the author compares the Wisdom of man to that of God. The author alludes to the fact that God is the owner of all wisdom and has the ability to destroy that of man. Moreover, God is the giver of all understanding and can thus strip the scholars of it. By this comparison, the author tells the church that God is much wiser than man and that it is much safer to listen to the words of God than to follow the wisdom and understanding of man.
There are also several instances of contrast in the passage. The most conspicuous of these are summarized in the table below:
| CONTRAST | VERSES |
| A contrast between Godly and earthly wisdom | 25 |
| A contrast between the perception of true believers on Christian faith and that of Jews and Gentiles | 21-23 |
In the first one, the author says that although earthly wisdom might see the Christian message as foolish, it is by this message that God will save those who believe. By this, the author encourages the audience to stick to Christian faith for them to be saved rather than to follow their earthly instincts which can only lead them to destruction. In addition, the author contrasts the perception of the Jews and Gentiles on Christian faith and that of believers. He says that even though the Christian message is a message of salvation, the gentiles might see it as nonsense and the Jews might see it as offensive. By this, the author urges the believers not to follow Christ’s word and not be like Jews or Gentiles.
As seen in the passage and the discussion above, the main significance of repetition is emphasis. Comparisons are used for emphasis and for explaining certain things using words and situations that are well-known to the audience. On the other side, contrasts are used to warn and advise the audience against certain things or actions.
Bibliography
Duvall, J. Scott, and Daniel J. Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2012.
[1]Scott J. Duvall and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible,(Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2012), 23.
